PRESS1 day ago

Lou Dobbs

Speculation about New Jersey Gov. Christie entering the 2012 Presidential Race has raised more questions about immigration: Will Christie Stick with his strong Pro-Reform Position or Flip-flop?
If he stands strong, will party leaders defend his immigration stance from the attacks of the anti-immigrant forces?

This just in: turns out all those rumors about Dobbs heading to FOX were true. After being paid $8 million to leave CNN about a year ago, the hardline immigration-obsessed host became embroiled anew in scandal last month after a year-long investigation exposed his own immigration hypocrisy (employing undocumented workers on his multi-million dollar estate).

What’s most disturbing about the common practice of individuals using contractors and other third parties to obtain domestic labor is that it provides plausible deniability when the hiring of illegal immigrants comes to light.

Now, he may be right about Whitman, but talk about casting the first stone… Today Lou Dobbs becomes the latest uber-wealthy public figure to shamelessly flog the immigration issue while simultaneously benefiting from undocumented labor in his home (or rather, estate). The Nation has a devastating report out today, the result of a year-long investigation, on Dobbs’ use and abuse of undocumented workers. Five of Dobbs’ workers stated that the ex-CNN anchor knew that they lacked papers but looked the other way as they tended his multi-million dollar estate.

Based on a yearlong investigation, including interviews with five immigrants who worked without papers on his properties, The Nation and the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute have found that Dobbs has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates.

Senator Lindsey Graham took some by surprise when he called for eliminating birthright citizenship and changing the 14th Amendment — and Lou Dobbs took even more by surprise when he opposed Graham’s idea.

Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reiterated their commitment to passing comprehensive immigration reform. After the President’s low-fidelity mention of immigration reform in the State of the Union address last night, the Senators’ clearly articulated commitment and bipartisan framework to get reform done was a welcome message. It will be their job, after all, to bring immigration reform to a vote in the Senate, as Representative Gutierrez outlined today.

Here are some of the best immigration tidbits from around the internets today — oh, and leave us some Friday comment love if you get a second. Andrea Nill at the Wonk Room reports on Lou Dobbs’ sprint to dump the toxic brand image he’s built up for himself on immigration. Maegan La Mala at Vivir Latino posts video and the new findings that immigration reform would be a 1.5 trillion dollar stimulus to the economy. Dave Neiwert points out the hypocrisy of Glen Beck’s “pre-emptive defense of the coming wave of anti-immigrant bigotry.” (Check out the updates.)

Lou Dobbs is making a new promise: He will be back talking his red-meat issues in public very soon. In a letter just received, he says: “I will be in the public arena and engaged.” His areas of interest: “Illegal immigration, international trade, job creation, and economic growth.”